{"id":79938,"date":"2021-02-16T00:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=79938"},"modified":"2021-02-16T08:22:51","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:22:51","slug":"pwj-s4e38","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2021\/02\/16\/pwj-s4e38\/","title":{"rendered":"PWJ: S4E38 &#8211; TSL 19 &#8211; &#8220;Nothin&#8217; &#8217;bout love makes sense&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/S4E38-Banner.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/S4E38-Banner.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79945\" srcset=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/S4E38-Banner.png 860w, https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/S4E38-Banner-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/S4E38-Banner-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following on from his previous letter about the differing philosophies of Heaven and Hell, Screwtape now directly turns to the subject of &#8220;love&#8221; and explains to his nephew why the whole idea makes no sense to him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>S4E38: &#8220;Nothin&#8217; &#8217;bout love makes sense&#8221;<\/strong>&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/PWJ-S4E38.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Download<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/PWJ-S4E38.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-51396fab-e50d-4cf5-92e3-e840026c934b\">If you enjoy this episode, you can subscribe&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/TheEagleAndChildPodcast\" target=\"_blank\">manually<\/a>, or&nbsp;any place where good podcasts can be found&nbsp;(<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-eagle-and-child-podcast-restless-pilgrim\/id1289456381\" target=\"_blank\">iTunes<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Ixvobfgi2wk4rkdegdnbdqjjh44?t=The_Eagle_and_Child\" target=\"_blank\">Google Play<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Pints-with-Jack\/dp\/B08K57WLYB\/\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/podcast-detail\/wqkqe-5e798\/The+Eagle+and+Child\" target=\"_blank\">Podbean<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/s?fid=159766&amp;refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\">Stitcher<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/radio\/The-Eagle-and-Child-p1079872\/\" target=\"_blank\">TuneIn<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/overcast.fm\/itunes1289456381\/pints-with-jack\" target=\"_blank\">Overcast<\/a>), as well as on&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCcYFlFuyOmYL6LcuicqzULw\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube<\/a>. The roadmap for Season 4 is&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/pints-with-jack-season-4\/\">available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-a56ad4a8-f43a-4986-8d5f-09ffa487daa4\">More information about us can be found on our website,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pintswithjack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">PintsWithJack.com<\/a>. If you\u2019d like to support us and get fantastic gifts,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/pintswithjack\">please join us on Patreon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-2882b493-f1aa-48ab-8db6-3c40f02265fc\">Timestamps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">00:00 \u2013 <em>Entering \u201cThe Eagle &amp; Child\u201d\u2026 <\/em><br>00:14 \u2013 <em>Welcome <\/em><br>00:44 \u2013 <em>Chit-Chat <\/em><br>05:22 \u2013 <em>Song-of-the-week <\/em><br>06:30 \u2013 <em>Quote-of-the-week <\/em><br>00:00 \u2013 <em>Drink-of-the-week <\/em><br>10:25 \u2013 <em>Patreon Toast <\/em><br>11:24 \u2013 <em>Chapter Summary <\/em><br>12:13 \u2013 <em>Discussion<\/em><br>42:10 \u2013 <em>Unscrewing Screwtape <\/em><br>45:43\u2013 <em>\u201cLast Call\u201d Bell and Closing Thoughts<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-256e7e4a-897b-43e2-a2ed-609bf087c84b\">YouTube Version<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/T8_I2zgq_oM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-a885e324-ccf9-42f2-9e03-3f3eb5dc7d6b\">After Show Skype Session<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>No Skype Session today!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-27508392-5bf9-4ea7-9a6d-34a4e3476c70\">Show Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chit-Chat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>As I mentioned in the episode with Dr. Jason Lepoj\u00e4rvi, we have now been on Patreon for a year. We\u2019ve just passed our anniversary, in fact. To mark this, as well as to say a huge \u201cthank you\u201d to everyone who supports us on Patreon, we wanted to offer something special to all our Patreon supporters. We\u2019ve teamed up with the C.S. Lewis Foundation to organize a Zoom tour of Lewis\u2019 home, \u201cThe Kilns\u201d.<ul><li>In March (most likely on a Saturday), someone from the C.S. Lewis Foundation will be giving a tour of Lewis\u2019 home via Zoom. This will be available to all our Patreon supporters, regardless of level-of-support. The tour will most take place a time so folks in England and the States should be able to easily attend.<\/li><li>This also won\u2019t be simply restricted to existing Patrons. If you sign up to support us between now and then, you too will be included.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>I quoted my wife <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/men-and-women\/\" target=\"_blank\">on my blog<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Song-of-the-week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The song-of-the-week was a suggestion from Cheri Randolf, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3V-j2P0J1FU\">Nothin\u2019 \u2019bout love makes sense<\/a> by LeAnn Rimes: <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3V-j2P0J1FU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Other options were:<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HEXWRTEbj1I\">\u201cWhat is love? (Baby don\u2019t hurt me)\u201d<\/a> by Haddaway<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/3s5xsVHOJQs?t=108\">Love stinks<\/a> by J. Geils Band (and Adam Sandler in <em>The Wedding Singer<\/em>)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WIR2f6oIvlM\">Love is a lie<\/a> by Great White<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quote-of-the-week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>\u201cHe is one being, they are distinct from Him. Their good cannot be His. All His talk about Love must be a disguise for something else&#8230; What does He stand to make out of them?\u201d<\/em><\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drink-of-the-week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Matt was drinking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Aerolite-Islay-Whisky-Character-Company\/dp\/B07YXDBF4T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aerolite Lyndsay 10 Year Old Single<\/a> and I drank a <strong>Guinness<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Patreon Toast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Finally, we toast one of our Gold-level Patreon supporters. Today we are toasting <strong><em><strong><em>Jake Jones<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;<em><em>Satan is going to try and convince you (and all of us) everyday to doubt God&#8217;s love for us, but may trust and believe in <em><em>both<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em> <em><em>your worthiness and God&#8217;s goodness and love towards you&#8221;<\/em><\/em><\/p><cite>Patreon Toast for Jake Jones<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chapter Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This is the summary of Chapter #19, which was first published in <em>The Guardian <\/em>on <strong><em>5th September, 1941<\/em><\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Screwtape backpedals, realising that his nephew may report him for heresy for suggesting that God really loves humanity! He explains that he spoke this way only because they are ignorant of Heaven&#8217;s real plan\u2026 which was actually why Satan left there in the first place! Wormwood asked about the desirability of the patient being &#8220;in love&#8221;. Screwtape sees this as just raw material\u2026 If he is arrogant or contemptuous of the body, it might be best to keep him from romance. However, if he is an emotional, gullible man, Screwtape has high hopes of matching him with a terrible wife!<\/p><cite>Chapter Summary of Letter #19<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-27508392-5bf9-4ea7-9a6d-34a4e3476c70\">Discussion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A contradiction in terms?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>As listeners will recall, in last week\u2019s letter, Screwtape looked at love, sex, and marriage.&nbsp;From today\u2019s letter we can tell that, in the intervening time, Wormwood had asked a question about what he saw as a contradiction in something said by his uncle. Screwtape explains his nephew\u2019s consternation:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>If&#8230; all selves are by their very nature in competition, and therefore the Enemy\u2019s idea of Love is a contradiction in terms, what becomes of my reiterated warning that He really loves the human vermin and really desires their freedom and continued existence?<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Nobody expects the Hellish inquisition!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape realises that he has accidentally affirmed heresy in writing! God actually <em>loves<\/em> humanity? Certainly not!&nbsp;Screwtape also realises that his back-stabbing nephew is ready to turn him in to the authorities for this slip-up! He therefore immediately begins to backpedal, saying&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I hope, my dear boy, you have not shown my letters to anyone.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape explains that&nbsp;his heresy was purely accidental. He also passes off all the nasty things he said about Slubgob, the head of the Training College, as well-intentioned, harmless jokes and he walks back the various threats he made to his nephew.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The contradiction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape explains that he was only careless in how he described the situation between God and humanity, speaking as though God really <em>loves<\/em> humanity, because Hell just doesn&#8217;t know what God\u2019s real motivation is.&nbsp;What Hell does know is that these ideas about love have to be utter nonsense. After all, as Screwtape writes:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>[God] is one being, they [the humans] are distinct from Him. Their good cannot be His. All His talk about Love must be a disguise for something else&#8230; What does He stand to make out of them?<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Satan&#8217;s Expulsion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape goes on to explain that this question was central to the famous incident between God and Satan at the dawn of time:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>When the creation of man was first mooted [first brought up] and when, even at that stage, the Enemy freely confessed that he foresaw a certain episode about a cross, Our Father [Satan] very naturally sought an interview and asked for an explanation. The Enemy gave no reply except to produce the cock-and-bull story [a nonsense tale] about disinterested love which He has been circulating ever since.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Of course, what Screwtape is describing here is simply Christian doctrine.&nbsp;Firstly, that God created humans out of love. As Lewis writes in <em>The Four Loves<\/em>:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love and perfect them.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves (Chapter 6)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Secondly, that God foresaw the need for the cross and created us anyway. Also in <em>The Four Loves<\/em> Jack writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>[God] creates the universe, already foreseeing\u2026 the buzzing cloud of flies about the cross, the flayed back pressed against the uneven stake, the nails driven through the mesial nerves, the repeated incipient suffocation as the body droops, the repeated torture of back and arms as it is time after time, for breath&#8217;s sake, hitched up.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves (Chapter 6)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is shocking. God made us out of love, even when He foresaw that, out of love, He would take on our nature in the Incarnation, coming as a little fetus, culminating in him being nailed to a tree in the Crucifixion. For myself, it was only when I first started talking with Muslims that I was really re-sensitized to the outrageousness of the Christian message, that God humbled Himself for us and allowed Himself to be treated in this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>If I may dare the biological image, God is a &#8220;host&#8221; who deliberately creates His own parasites; causes us to be that we may exploit and &#8220;take advantage of&#8221; Him. Herein is love. This is the diagram of Love Himself, the inventor of all loves.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves (Chapter 6)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Needless to say, Satan didn\u2019t believe what God said about love. He wanted to know \u201cthe secret\u201d. Screwtape tells us that&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;such an unprovoked lack of confidence caused him [Satan] to remove himself an infinite distance from the Presence with a suddenness which has given rise to the ridiculous enemy story that he was forcibly thrown out of Heaven.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This is described in more detail in <em>Paradise Lost<\/em> (the preface to which, by the way, Lewis was working on around this time). <em>Paradise Lost<\/em> is, in turn, is based on Isaiah 14:12-19, where words about the King of Babylon have been traditionally seen as an image of Satan\u2019s own fall from grace:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201cHow you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, \u2018&#8230; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.\u2019 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit\u2026&nbsp;<\/p><cite>Isaiah 14:12-19<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A hopeful future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape says that both God and His followers have stuck to this ridiculous \u201cstory\u201d about God\u2019s \u201cdisinterested love\u201d. Of course, the problem for Screwtape is what he says next\u2026<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>We know that He cannot really love: nobody can: it doesn\u2019t make sense.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape notes that they even point out that if the devils ever came to understand the nature of the secret, the war between Heaven and Hell would be over.&nbsp;I think Screwtape is right here, but not for the reason that he thinks. He then expresses hope for the future discovery of God\u2019s secret plan, enumerating all of the promises and penalties of Hell in achieving this goal.<\/li><li>You do wonder what Screwtape does with a passage like 1 Corinthians 13, you know, the one you typically hear at weddings: \u201cLove is patient, love is kind, \u2026\u201d<\/li><li>Since we\u2019re talking about love here, I do have to make a pitch for folks to read one of my favourite passages from an Early Church Father. Following a rebellion against their Corinthian clergy at the end of the First Century, St. Clement of Rome writes to the Church at Corinth to settle the matter and have their priests reinstated. In his powerful, yet winsome letter, St. Clement makes a similar appeal to love as the one which St. Paul made that congregation a few decades earlier.&nbsp; The whole thing is gorgeous, but I\u2019ll here\u2019s a taster&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the [blessed]&nbsp;bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love bears all things, is long-suffering in all things. There is nothing base, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions: love does all things in harmony. By love have all the elect of God been made perfect; without love nothing is well-pleasing to God. In love has the Lord taken us to Himself. On account of the Love he bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls.&nbsp;<br><br>You see, beloved, how great and wonderful a thing is love, and that there is no declaring its perfection. Who is fit to be found in it, except such as God has vouchsafed to render so? Let us pray, therefore, and implore of His mercy, that we may live blameless in love, free from all human partialities for one above another. All the generations from Adam even unto this day have passed away; but those who, through the grace of God, have been made perfect in love, now possess a place among the godly, and shall be made manifest at the revelation of the kingdom of Christ\u2026. Blessed are we, beloved, if we keep the commandments of God in the harmony of love; that so through love our sins may be forgiven us\u2026<\/p><cite>Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (Chapters 49-50)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is &#8220;being in love&#8221; good or bad? It&#8217;s a dumb question<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>As Screwtape begins to wrap-up his letter, we turn from the love of God (which Lewis calls \u201cagape\u201d in <em>The Four Loves<\/em>) to \u201cfalling in love\u201d (\u201ceros\u201d).&nbsp;Apparently Wormwood complained that Screwtape didn\u2019t make it clear whether falling in love was a desirable state into which to guide his patient&#8230; Screwtape says that this is a dumb question! He writes:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Leave them to discuss whether \u201cLove\u201d, or patriotism, or celibacy, or candles on altars&#8230; are \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d&#8230; Nothing matters at all except the tendency of a given state of mind, in given circumstances, to move a particular patient at a particular moment nearer to the Enemy or nearer to us.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is always Screwtape\u2019s bottom line. Sickness\/health\/youth\/old age\/romance etc. is really just raw material. They don&#8217;t really matter per se &#8211; it\u2019s all about how Wormwood exploits them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">One way or another<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Now that Screwtape has given us this general principle of twisting raw material, he looks at how a devil might apply it to romantic love. So, when should romantic involvement be encouraged and when should it be discouraged? Screwtape says Wormwood should encourage the patient to have contempt to for love if he\u2019s an arrogant man who has a misguided contempt for the body and who is a bit of a contrarian:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>If he is an arrogant man with a contempt for the body really based on delicacy but mistaken by him for purity \u2014 and one who takes pleasure in flouting what most of his fellows approve&#8230; Instil into him an overweening asceticism and then, when you have separated his sexuality from all that might humanise it, weigh in on him with it in some much more brutal and cynical form.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What\u2019s the flip-side? Well&#8230;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>If, on the other hand, he is an emotional, gullible man, feed him on minor poets and fifth-rate novelists of the old school until you have made him believe that \u201cLove\u201d is both irresistible and somehow intrinsically meritorious.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape says that this probably won\u2019t cause casual unchastity, but is perfect for fostering tragic adulteries which end in murders and suicides.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Alternatively, it can be used to send the patient into a bad marriage, Hell once again twisting one of God\u2019s good designs. With this in mind, Screwtape demands a report from Wormwood on the women in the patient\u2019s neighbourhood who, as wives, would make it difficult for him to continue to practice his faith. <\/li><li>Matt alluded to a few classic rom-com scenes:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RESwG23_YGw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/goPvYeQwlPI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Screwtape ends by recapping his main point:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;get it quite clear in your own mind that this state of falling in love is not, in itself, necessarily, favourable either to us or to the other side. It is simply an occasion which we and the Enemy are both trying to exploit.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter #19)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Unscrewing Screwtape<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Do<\/strong> believe in the genuine love and goodness of God<\/li><li><strong>Do<\/strong> read <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Crazy-Love-Overwhelmed-Relentless-God\/dp\/1434705943\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;Crazy Love&#8221; by Francis Chan<\/a><\/li><li><strong>Do not <\/strong>approach life like a zero-sum game<\/li><li><strong>Do <\/strong>remember that Satan can twist any good thing<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">eProvidence Learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/42JaMcSQ_Q8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following on from his previous letter about the differing philosophies of Heaven and Hell, Screwtape now directly turns to the subject of &#8220;love&#8221; and explains to his nephew why the whole idea makes no sense to him!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3111],"tags":[5012,2969,200,4430,4438,4822],"class_list":["post-79938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-c-s-lewis-2","tag-featured","tag-love","tag-pints-with-jack","tag-the-eagle-and-child-podcast","tag-the-screwtape-letters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/S4E38-Blog.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79938"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80183,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79938\/revisions\/80183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}